HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited SWIFT/BIC code

What HSBCCNSH means for a payment to HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited

HSBCCNSH and HSBCCNSHXXX are two spellings of the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both point to HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited in Shanghai. A SWIFT code tells the banks handling a payment which institution should receive the money, a bit like a postal address for banks. In daily life you usually come across the code on invoices from abroad, in your banking app and in the bank details of HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited customers.

Further down you will find the practical questions: receiving money at HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited, paying someone in another country and how to check the code before you hit send. The BIC names an institution, not a specific account, which is why you always need the account number too.

Which of the 35 codes of HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited do you need?

With 35 codes, HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited is one of the banks that register separate codes for branches and departments. The head office code is HSBCCNSHXXX.

Usually you do not need to look up a branch: transfers sent to HSBCCNSHXXX reach HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited without problems. Branch codes are only needed if the recipient’s bank explicitly mentions it, which is more common for corporate accounts and trade services.

Unsure which code applies? Check with the recipient or the bank itself. Branch codes can change over time, so do not rely on old paperwork.

Getting paid from abroad into a HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited account

If you expect money from abroad, send the payer a complete set of details. That means: your full name exactly as it appears on the account, your account number or IBAN, the SWIFT/BIC code HSBCCNSHXXX and usually your postal address.

Their bank may also ask for the bank address of HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited, in which case the Shanghai head office is the usual answer. Double-check each detail before you share them, because the sender’s bank usually copies them as is.

Money from abroad will not always land for the full amount. Fees for incoming transfers differ per bank. Agree with the sender who covers the fees before the money is sent.

Chinese Yuan (CNY) and conversion costs

The currency in China is the Chinese Yuan (CNY). A payment in a foreign currency will be converted into CNY. Every conversion eats into the amount.

Who does the conversion affects the final amount, since every bank sets its own rate. Often you pay less if you send CNY straight away through a transfer service with a good rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert.

Exchange rates change all the time. With bigger transfers, a seemingly small gap in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

8 or 11 characters: HSBCCNSH versus HSBCCNSHXXX

A BIC is made up of a few fixed parts: the first four letters identify the bank, characters five and six show the country and the two after that mark the location. The result is HSBCCNSH, the short form of the code.

XXX at the end of HSBCCNSHXXX is not a missing value or an error: it indicates the head office of HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited. Some forms insist on 11 characters, in which case you can add XXX after HSBCCNSH.

Do not add spaces when you enter HSBCCNSH. Pasting the code beats typing it by hand: a typo can point to another bank.

How long does an international transfer to HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited take?

How quickly a payment arrives at HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited depends on several factors: the currency, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and differences in time zone. Transfers sent late in the day or on a weekend or public holiday often start the next business day. Occasionally a bank wants to know about the purpose of a payment.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each payment gets a unique reference, the UETR that banks can use to trace it. Keep your transfer receipt until the money has arrived.

A missing payment is investigated from the sending side on the basis of the transfer details. On the receiving end, it helps to look at your account for a slightly lower amount because fees can reduce the amount.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

The details here come from public sources that we update regularly. Even so, banks merge or retire codes, so information can be out of date. The number of codes on this page reflect what is in our directory.

Treat our data as a reference, rather than as the last word – the bank details from the recipient are leading. GoldexPay is not affiliated with HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited; we are a comparison site for money transfers. Should you notice a mistake, we appreciate a message via the contact page.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

One of the most common tricks works like this: an email arrives with a message saying that a contact has new bank details. A real SWIFT code says nothing about whether the request is genuine.

Never rely on a phone number in the same message that announces the change. Be suspicious of urgent requests, unusual wording or an email address that differs by one letter. Acted too fast? Contact your bank without delay and have them try to recall the payment.

Recipients can be targeted as well: a classic trick is an overpayment and then sends a request to refund the difference to another account. Wait until the money has really arrived.

Before you send: check the HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited code

Ask the recipient to send you the account details directly from their online banking. Compare that code against HSBCCNSH on this page; if they differ, ask before you pay.

Mistakes in the SWIFT code tend to be costly rather than fatal: often the payment comes back, minus fees. Remember the account number: a mistake there can be more difficult to correct than a wrong code.

Many banking apps validate the format of IBANs. Where available, a name check before sending adds extra certainty. For a first payment, some people send a small amount first before sending the rest.

Sending money abroad from HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited

What you pay for a payment abroad is made up of several parts. On top of a fixed fee, banks in between can deduct a fee, and when the money changes currency the bank usually uses a rate that is less favourable than the actual market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee: many banks convert at a rate that includes a margin. A simple test: put the bank’s rate next to the mid-market rate for the same moment and work out the difference on your amount.

Specialised transfer providers frequently use rates closer to the mid-market rate. GoldexPay lists these services next to each other so you can see what actually arrives before you commit. Using a transfer service does not mean closing your account at HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited: you simply pay the service from your account.